Considering that Puppy runs well in 300 mhz , 128 MB RAM machine, Zonbu is "over-powered" for Puppy. This means that given Zonbu's specifications, it will have superb performance when running Puppy Linux.

I guess this is the biggest argument for a user to be weaned from Win-boxes: high computing performance while enjoying zero malware. And Puppy is fun to tweak to your wishes._________________Puppy user since Oct 2004. Want FreeOffice? Get the sfs (English only).

Looking at the machine specs and information, I see what I consider some serious red flags. To start with, it does not have a built in cd/dvd drive, you have to purchase it separately. Second, it comes prepackaged with its own Zonbu OS. This is why you only pay $249, as they expect you to use thier OS and its associated subscription service (which is meant for the same purpose for which I presently use a 40Gb external drive).

However, just for argument, I am going to write them and ask what thier device would cost with the optional external cd/dvd device and solar panel sans the subscription service.....

For a full system, that is a Zonbu, no subscription, and the external cd/dvd device with shipping and handling, it is roughly $306.00 I think this a more than reasonable price for a brand new system and would an excellent system for puppy in a small apartment or trailer. Still, if you wanted, this work great in a home office if you wanted to keep clutter to a bare minimum. I may just have to buy one._________________The only windows I have are those on my home.

the $249USD (no subscription) gets you the box plus two Gig of storage on their server, plus their automatic updates of the Gentoo-based OS and included programs.

the appeal of the hardware (for me, anyway) is that it's tiny, noiseless (no fans, no moving drives) and consumes very little power while being more than capable of what most people need from a computer.

i'm told that you need a pretty fast connection for their storage and maintenance model to work unnoticed by the user.

i'm tempted by the Zonbu, but then i'm already running myPup nearly solid-state on my old computer

Reading through the Zonbu website, I noticed something of interest. Zonbu does not recommend changing the OS on their little device. Furthermore, they list that Puppy on the Zonbu has both video and audio problems. My question is what version of Puppy was used and how hard would it be to work around this. I still think that Puppy running on a Zonbu type machine would be ideal. Any thoughts?

I don't think they'll be too eager to accept the invitation to accommodate other OS'es. Their business model depends on the subscriptions.

While I suspect that they are not selling the unit below cost, I'd bet they are selling them at a net loss when accounting for overhead, etc. Anyway, I think a skilled hardware hobbyist could certainly figure out which drivers, etc and could throw together a nice .pup that would make the unit fully functional.

I'm an engineer at Zonbu, answering the invitation you sent us. Zonbu has always been actively cooperating with the open-source community, and we release all our patches here:
http://www.zonbu.com/company/developer.htm

However, as mentionned in this thread, we want to have users of our OS and our services, not users of our hardware (which is outsourced). Think "mobile phone"—it's the same business model. Our goal is to provide an hassle-free computing experience, using state-of-the-art open-source software. Hardware is just commodity to reach this goal. So it does not make sense for us to spend time to make Puppy Linux work on our hardware.

You're welcome to buy a device without any subscription plan (choose "à la carte" plan and de-select all options). We recently revised our pricing as we went out of beta, please go to our online shop for the most up-to-date info.
http://www.zonbu.com/shop/

Given that Zonbu has now upped their prices, and I was only interested in the hardware anyway, I am now more likely to consider building something similar in size to the Zonbu. Somehow I think it would be less expensive than buying a Zonbu.

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